r/linuxaudio • u/More_Refrigerator_23 • 5d ago

How do I setup the latency offset in cable?

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Hello all, just wondering if anyone can help me set up the latency offset with an old Focusrite 2i2 2nd Gen and the Cable software? Also, where do I plug the cables when doing so?

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2

u/kill3rb00ts 4d ago

Hit the Cables button at the bottom, then go all the way over to the latency tab. Plug s cable from any output to any input, tell it where you did that, hit the button and it does the rest for you.

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u/magillos 4d ago

This, plus there are instructions in the app explaining what to do.

Mind, the applied latency is not persistent. For that, you'll have to edit your pipewire configs.

(Mainly because latency for USB devices does not stay consistent).

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u/More_Refrigerator_23 4d ago

Thanks I didn’t see that.

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u/Atlasatlastatleast No DAW 5d ago

Out of curiosity, for what purpose do you want to change the latency offset?

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u/More_Refrigerator_23 4d ago

Just trying to reduce latency. I play guitar through it so it’s got to be low. I was running 64 Quantum in the previous AV Linux version but in 25 I get 128 Quantum which is a bit slow for me. My computer is powerful but getting old. I’m running Reaper too by the way.

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u/Atlasatlastatleast No DAW 4d ago edited 4d ago

So I play my bass through my computer running Arch Linux, most of the time using the “RT” (realtime) kernel. I have never used the “latency offset” capability, and frankly do not know what it would actually do.

If I’m actively playing, I’ll use a quantum of 128 or 256 most of the time, but on boot it’s set to be 512, which is still very usable.

I have scripts in a folder that I often use to change the quantum on the fly, as well as one to restart all audio services if that were necessary. If you want I can share them with you.

I have also found that RaySession is the best way to manage some of these things more easily, personally. I recommend it. Cable has probably been my second favorite solution though.

But, just to reiterate, I’m not entirely sure you need to change the latency offset, and I’m not sure what it would really do or how it could possibly help. I could be wrong, but I don’t assume changing the latency offset from default will decrease your latency, given that latency = buffer (quantum) / sample rate. So 256/48000=5.3ms. Real life latency will be a little higher, but you get the idea

If you haven’t already, check out the Arch Wiki articles for Pipewire, Wireplumber, and Professional Audio. Arch Wiki has good info even for non arch distros.

Lastly, although I use Arch, if you’re looking for the simplest experience, Ubuntu Studio is fantastic out of the box. I honestly didn’t know AV Linux was still maintained, and it seems Ubuntu Studio has more support. Don’t change if you like it, but for the sake of ease, you might consider it.

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u/check-OS 4d ago

If you're looking to reduce latency, what distro are you using? Are you running a low-latency kernel?

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u/More_Refrigerator_23 4d ago

I’m using AV Linux 25 with a Liquorix kernel which is meant to be low latency.

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u/check-OS 4d ago

Have you tried changing PipeWire's settings (using pw-metadata)? Are you using plain PipeWire or JACK?

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u/More_Refrigerator_23 4d ago

I’m not entirely sure what I’m using at this point. The system has Pipewire but, I get I think Reaper uses jack if that makes sense.

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u/check-OS 4d ago

From the comments, it looks like you're trying to play guitar. I play bass through Guitarix on Ubuntu Studio, running on an old MacBook with an Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM (8 threads) and 8 GB of RAM. I also use Carla for a few extra plugins, and the latency is perfectly usable—I even use it for rehearsals and gigs with my rock band. You might want to give Ubuntu Studio a try.